Helicopter Tour Operator Seeks Approval to Fly at 700ft Rather Than 1,500

Aerial tour operator Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is seeking an exemption from the FAA that would chop its minimum altitude from 1,500 feet above ground level to just 700. Locals are not happy with the sudden proposal, pointing out threats to the community and wildlife below.

The Bomber Will Soon Rejoin Her B-29 Sister Ship, FIFI, in the Skies

The Commemorative Air Force’s iconic B-24, Diamond Lil, is working hard to maintain its status as the only regularly flying Liberator. It recently accomplished its first engine run in more than a year and is now progressing through extensive testing and inspections before getting back in the air.

Flight Ban Was Imposed After Multiple Airlines Were Under Fire Last Year

The Federal Aviation Administration has pushed back the expiration date for the Port-au-Prince flight ban from September 8, 2025, to March 7, 2026. The restriction, originally set to last just 30 days, was implemented in November 2024 after multiple American aircraft took gunfire while attempting to land in Haiti’s capital.

Aimed At Schools, Governments, Agencies, Law Enforcement

TCB Drones Academy, a Dallas, Texas-based provider of drone training programs, announced the launch of a new program of two-day, FAA Part 107 readiness workshops intended for city governments, city and county agencies, high schools, universities, HBCUs, and law enforcement departments.

Agreement For Seven With Options For Eight More

Bell Textron announced that Global Medical Response signed a purchase agreement for seven Bell 429 aircraft with options for an additional eight. GMR remains the world’s largest operator of Bell helicopters in the Helicopter Emergency Response Service segment. The company is headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, and has 381 operational bases in all 50 U.S. states and internationally.

American Pilot Departs King George Island On Chilean Navy Ship

Ethan Guo, the 20-year-old American pilot seeking to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents in his pursuit to raise money for cancer research, was permitted to leave King George Island in Antarctica two months after landing there under disputed circumstances.

Displayed At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025

ANN’s Rex Alexander spoke with Jason Nerio of Cherokee Federal at the 2025 EAA AirVenture Air Show and Fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who gave the lowdown on the company’s all-new technology: a mobile vertipad for VTOL aircraft. It is unique in that nobody else has developed anything like this. It is unlike any other infrastructure for vertical lift operations such as helidecks and helidollies or permanent helipads. Nobody else has made a robust platform that is on wheels and can be positioned pretty much anywhere. The sides fold up and it weighs just 8,500 lb so it can be towed behind

Premier Annual Joint Reserve Exercise Hosted By National Guard

Pilots from the Michigan Wing of the Civil Air Patrol participated in Northern Strike 2025, an annual exercise held at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center at the Alpena County Regional Airport (KAPN), focused this year on MQ-9 launch and recovery operations, expeditionary air traffic control training, and targeting exercises.

Also: Boeing Pleads for Extension, Airport Admin Under Review, Huntington Beach Airshow, Spirit Files Again

DoT Secretary Sean P. Duffy notified FAA headquarters staff employees spread among six locations in Washington, D.C. that they’ll be relocating to the department’s building in the southeastern area of the city. Officials of the union, however, have raised concerns about the plan. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford wrote an email to staff that the timing for each office’s relocation would be finalized soon. Just days ahead of Poland’s largest aviation gathering, the leader of the country’s Tiger Demo Team was behind

Also: AF Autonomous Cargo Ops, HOVERAir, Starship’s Florida Launches, SkyDrive SD-05

The YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has begun its flight testing in coordination with the U.S. Air Force, taking a vital step for its manufacturer, General Atomics. The CCA is a much-needed improvement over existing fixed-wing UAVs in the portfolio, adding a slew of low-observability elements to keep up with developments abroad. The Oceanside, California, Police Department is rolling out a trial run of its ‘drone as first responder’ program using funds from a state grant to improve police response times and provide situational awareness for office

Also: Boeing Pleads for Extension, Airport Admin Under Review, Huntington Beach Airshow, Spirit Files Again

DoT Secretary Sean P. Duffy notified FAA headquarters staff employees spread among six locations in Washington, D.C. that they’ll be relocating to the department’s building in the southeastern area of the city. Officials of the union, however, have raised concerns about the plan. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford wrote an email to staff that the timing for each office’s relocation would be finalized soon. Just days ahead of Poland’s largest aviation gathering, the leader of the country’s Tiger Demo Team was behind the co

The Nose Of The Airplane Tipped Forward And The Propeller Hit The Runway

Analysis: The pilot reported that he landed his tailwheel airplane within the first third of the runway; however, the end of the runway was approaching quickly. He firmly applied brakes before the tailwheel was on the ground, and the nose of the airplane tipped forward and the propeller hit the runway. The airplane flipped and came to rest right side up on the runway. The fuselage, wings, and empennage sustained substantial damaged. The pilot said that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Aero Linx: Piper Apache Club The Piper Apache has evolved again into the hands of the private owner that is interested in preserving and flying one of the finest general aviation aircraft ever made. The name of the organization has been changed to the Piper Apache Club. This was done to eliminate the confusion with the Apache Helicopter  and move on from the initials of  FAA, (Flying Apache Association), which has been a good source of humor over the years.  The website will be up and running with free access for a period of time so it will be available to as many Apache owners and operators as possible. We will be moving to a Membership organization thereafter and  we will e

Runway Entrance Lights (REL) An array of red lights which include the first light at the hold line followed by a series of evenly spaced lights to the runway edge aligned with the taxiway centerline, and one additional light at the runway centerline in line with the last two lights before the runway edge. 

"As I have maintained from the start, I faced an in-air emergency and was granted approval by Chilean authorities to land on King George Island. I am pleased that the agreement with the prosecutor's office closes the matter with no charges filed and no penalties imposed. This resolution reflects the facts."

Source: A statement made by Ethan Guo, the 20-year-old American pilot seeking to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents in his pursuit to raise money for cancer research, was permitted to leave King George Island in Antarctica two months after landing there under disputed circumstances.